He was ambitious, but few facts about his early life are verifiable as Tony tended to self-aggrandize. Donations made to the CALS Foundation are tax-deductible for United States federal income tax purposes. Spears also rejected Alamos $3.5-million counterclaim that Coie had slandered and defamed him. Nine years his senior, Edith Horn, a two-time divorce who already had a daughter, had moved to Hollywood to become an actress but ended up supporting herself partly by scamming churches into believing her to be a missionary in need of money. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2018. In October 2007, Tony Alamo Christian Ministries was listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center on account of its anti-Catholic rhetoric. For instance, as an Amazon Associate, Religion News Blog earns from qualifying purchases. The Alamo Christian Foundation was an American cult founded in 1969 by Christian evangelist Tony Alamo and one of his wives, Susan Alamo. Picture taken in 1993. Alamo was living at the time in Tampa, Fla., a fugitive from charges that he had ordered the beating of an 11-year-old church member at the Saugus commune. Lets make the most of it.. The smaller compound was now in Fouke, Arkansas, but there were two extant branches in Ft. Smith and Los Angeles. Acting didnt pan out, but Susan Lipowitz made a good living as an evangelical preacher, often leaving southern California for long stretches to preach in tents across the country. She threw Alamo out of her Los Angeles home last fall after he broke a 200 year old statue. The CALS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. All Rights Reserved. He wont sign the papers.. The church quickly expanded its holdings, buying several businesses and establishing a compound in nearby Saugus. The total number of wives he has accumulated is unclear, to be sure. Below are several (but not all) of Tony Alamos alleged wives. Her mother Suzanne and step-father, Bob Streit, are still with the Alamo group. She said she did not plan to leave the country, although Amrhein thinks she and Alamo and the children were about to take a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth II. When a tribute gift is given the honoree will receive a letter acknowledging your generosity and a bookplate will be placed in a book. Many of these individuals chose to stay on to become Bible students and lay ministers. [4], After divorcing their respective spouses, Horn and Hoffman married in a 1966 Las Vegas ceremony, legally changing their names to Tony Alamo and Susan Alamo. She was already married to Kenya Williams (African American) and pregnant with his child at the time. Sharon Alamo seen leaving courthouse after Tony Alamo was found guilty of 10 counts of taking underage girls across state lines for sex 2009. They named the group the Alamo Christian Foundation before forming the . They also had a knack for finding young people who needed help. [1][2] He was 82 years old. Many Hollywood celebrities were seen wearing them, including Michael Jackson, who wore a modified leather Alamo jacket on the cover of his album Bad. Attorney Susan James of Montgomery, Ala., who represented Alamo during the trial in Ft. Smith, Ark., noted that Alamo was challenging Spears decision and said he had denied all of Coies allegations. He left me with all the bills, she said. The following month, Susan Alamo was re-interred in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I made sure he was properly dressed. He claimed Satan was behind the continuous, relentless government prosecution and that he was the ultimate victim. Bowden, Bill. Every day is a milestone, Amy says. They made a record together, and they cant sing. Convicted a year later, he died in federal prison in 2017 at 82. Ill get my children back, said Nick Amrhein of Huntington, West VA. "[16] MSC sued and lost in the United States Court of Federal Claims. ET) on Investigation Discovery. Meanwhile, lawsuits filed by former church members accused the couple of controlling their flock with intimidation and beatings. After he hooked up with Susan, his ambition, combined with her knowledge of Pentecostal life, along with the burgeoning pro-Jesus counterculture movement of the mid-1960s, resulted runaway success. Her. For years they were side by side, and Anthony said he believes she was the true mastermind of Alamo Ministries. Between 1986 and 1990, the preacher remarried twice. Tony Alamo was a well-known evangelist who, after a radical conversion to Christianity, founded what is now called Tony Alamo Christian Ministries with his wife, Susan, later establishing its headquarters in Dyer (Crawford County). Divorce wasnt quite as scandalous in Hollywood, where Tony met Susan met in the mid-1960s. They were even told who they were going to marry: the 62-year-old leader of their apocalyptic group. . Sunday October 1, 1995 Alamo Christian Ministries, Tony Alamo. 2023 Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Married in Las Vegas, the Alamos soon established their church, also known as the Susan and Tony Alamo Foundation. Probably the strangest incident surrounding Tony Alamo Christian Ministries had to do with the body of Susan Alamo, who died of cancer on April 8, 1982. I wanted to push him to see if he could keep his balance in his elevator shoes. In the midst of his supposed third marriage, a 1986 Arkansas Gazette report concluded that Gyllenhammar had actually been Alamo's sixth wife, as he had apparently been married four times prior to Susan. He professed this great love for my mother. There is no doubt in my mind.. Tony renamed the business and ran the organization as a benevolent and energetic father figure. Always the promoter, the Alamos established their theological foundation as staunchly anti-Catholic, promoting conspiracy theories about how the Pope, United Nations and mainstream media stood behind the US.. Presidency. This newspaper traced the advertising agency promoting the association to the Alamo of Nashville clothing store. Now Tony Alamo is also a grave robberat least in the eyes of an Arkansas judge, who has ordered him to lay to rest his wifes missing 13-year-old corpse. Sadly, there are many more under age children that were forced by Alamo to be another one of his wives. He built her a heart-shaped mausoleum, and the church kept her body on display. Alamo to Return Body of Wife after 7 Years. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,July 24, 1998, pp. Dear Abby advises a woman whose boyfriend is using her. He remained in prison until his death in May 2017. One of the fathers, Robert Miller, had previously overseen the churchs trucking company and alleged that Alamo had embezzled $100,000 from it. Theyd been tipped off by three former members, all men whose sons had been taken to California after their ex-wives married other Alamo Church members. ___ She may be prosecuted not only for unlawful flight but also for trying to obtain a passport under false pretenses. Special thanks to the Department of Arkansas Heritage. Tony Alamo was born Bernie Lazar Hoffman on Sept. 20, 1934, to a Jewish family in Joplin, Missouri. Alamos Fort Smith attorneys say they do not know if Alamo divorced Gyllenhammar and if he properly married Amrhein. A hearing was held the day after her arrest. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital Anyone can use it regardless of ability, approach, or level of acceptance by recognized authorities in the field. Troubles continue to mount for Tony Alamo Christian Foundation. 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I have a right to be angry, says Pebbles. Both women still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, where seemingly normal activities can sometimes trigger panic attacks and feelings of fear and loneliness. He kept the presses at his print shop running day and night, churning out literature about Satanic conspiracy theories perpetrated against him and the church. The U.S. State Department isnt sure either if Alamo and Amrhein are married. [8] Converting from Judaism to Christianity, she became an itinerant evangelist before she met Hoffman. Tony was heartbroken. I was at a party not long ago with Julio Iglesias and Elizabeth Taylor. In 1975, the Alamos purchased land in Dyer, near Alma, and there established the main branch of the Music Square Church, which later was called the Holy Alamo Christian Church Consecrated before its present name was adopted. History: In California in February 1993 Tony Alamo took Lydia , an African American, as a second wife. Hes a convicted tax evader and a flamboyant evangelist who once ran what authorities called a multimillion-dollar, Saugus-based cult. You know, what gets me about this is [my mother] made him a multimillionaire many times over, Coie said. . There are still many, many people nationally and internationally who have great admiration for him., But Spears also ordered Alamo to pay Coie $100,000, finding that he had committed a so-called tort of outrage against her by withholding her mothers bodyoutrageous conduct that any person knows would cause much grief and anguish to a child.. In September 1994, the Federal District Court for the Western District of Tennessee sentenced Alamo to six years in federal prison in Texarkana, Texas. (AP) Amy Eddy and Pebbles Rodriguez are speaking out about how they were controlled by apocalyptic cult leader Tony Alamo in an upcoming documentary. He claimed that he recorded a hit record single in the early 1960s, Little Yankee Girl, and that he was asked to manage musical acts including the Beatles, the Doors, and the Rolling Stones. The miniseries describes their founding and running of the Tony and Susan Alamo Christian Foundation which the program characterizes as a "cult" through which the Alamos became rich by exploiting their followers who truly believed in them. But no. Their ministry was part of the Jesus People movement, in which many of those involved in the counterculture of the 1960s began proclaiming a spiritual transformation and an allegiance to Jesus. Between 1986 and 1990, the preacher remarried twice. The girls grew up in Fouke, Arkansas, where they lived on a compound. After a decade of building the church, Susan and Tony moved everyone to Dyer, Arkansas, just outside Fort Smith near the Oklahoma border. He was 82 years old. Tony also faced charges relating to his late wifes body. Others said they never got paid. Encyclopedia of Arkansas Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, List of organizations designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as anti-LGBT hate groups, "Tony Alamo, Apocalyptic Ministry Leader Convicted of Sex Abuse, Dies at 82", "Christian Cult Leader and Child Sex Abuser Tony Alamo Dies in Federal Custody". She and her son are mistreated more than the others and are both referred to as nigger by Alamo. A custody hearing will be held Monday in Huntington. Around the time of his wifes death, Tony changed the name of the church and consolidated its power. WATCH: Cult Leaders & Child Brides: Breaking Down People Magazine Investigates: Cults. Give a donation in someones name to mark a special occasion, honor a friend or colleague or remember a beloved family member. Witnesses at his trial described being taken as child brides, with some as young as 9 years old. The child on the right is Lizzy and Alamos daughter, Antoinette. When Alamo saw Amrhein at the hearing the evangelist appeared upset. Davis, Andy. Chancery Judge Bernice Kizer ruled Monday that the foundations local business must pay back sales taxes. Amrhein called the Press Argus Courier this week after cult awareness groups sent him clippings that have appeared in this newspaper. Alamo is the president of the Alama-based Alamo Christian Foundation. Tony spent the last 20 years in and out of prison, pioneered conspiracy talk radio, and built an empire that couldnt withstand the lust and greed of its creator. The Alamo Christian Foundation was an American cult founded in 1969 by Christian evangelist Tony Alamo and one of his wives, Susan Alamo. The states medical examiner will have to verify that the remains are those of Susan Alamo, who died of cancer in 1982, more than a decade after she and Tony founded the fire-and-brimstone Holy Alamo Christian Church in Hollywood. Just why Alamo had the corpsewhich he claimed spoke to him from the graveremoved from its tomb was not explained in Spears order. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Ive been asked to go to France and design clothes there. Members in Dyer worked on a large campus compound. The children are brainwashed, but they will be OK, said Amrhein, who is involved in a bitter custody fight with his former wife, Elizabeth Amrhein-Alamo, who claims to have married, Tony Alamo, the Alma-based evangelist and has been living at his Dyer home with her children. [11] Individuals who sought to join the church and become involved in its rehabilitation program took a vow of poverty and agreed to turn all of their money and property over to the church. Gyllenhammar said Alamo is attracted to blond women. The Alamo Christian Foundation. Arkansas Historical Quarterly 76 (Autumn 2017): 218247. Many of the businesses have closed down. Alamos Pentecostal theology includeed a virulent paranoia and extreme anti-Catholicism that placed the Vatican as the real power broker behind the White House, the United Nations, and the media. Her mother, Debbie Ondrisek, is still in the group and feels privileged that her daughter is married to the World Pastor. Millions Awarded to 7 Tied to Alamo. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, February 28, 2014, p. 4B. Amy E. Unofficial wife of Tony Alamo Jeanne, Amy, Desiree and Nikki were all born into the Tony Alamo Christian Ministry, which, some say, is a cult. He is a beautiful person. He was walking down the hallway in his black regalia and five-inch elevator shoes, Amrhein recalls. Alamo, whose real name is Bernie Lazar . Although Alamo was unable to bring his wife back to life, he intends to keep the controversy over her body alive in court, according to Coie and one of her lawyers, Asa Hutchinson of Ft. Smith. For about a decade, beginning in the mid-1990s, Amy and Pebbles lived as child brides of Alamo and were regularly starved, beaten and raped. 2833. Shown here in 1993 at Alamos birthday party before she became a wife and again after she was unofficially married to Alamo. In September 2008, Alamo was charged with multiple violations of the Mann Act between 1994 and 2005. Her name was Brigitta Gyllenhammer, and she lasted two years before divorcing him. With the labor of their followers, the Alamos turned their church into a hefty financial empire, even as many members had to scavenge food from supermarket dumpsters and were forbidden from flushing the toilets more than every two or three days. It lost on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals in 1999. Also he owned the Little Mark, Alamo, and Talamo Records record labels. Members usually lived in a commune and worked at an Alamo-owned business, turning over much of their salaries to the church. In 2019, the American television channel Sundance TV broadcast the four-part miniseries Ministry of Evil: The Twisted Cult of Tony Alamo, based on the lives of Tony and Susan Alamo. Mr. Alamo presently has the ability to have the body produced.. Alamo, who was born Bernie Lazar Hoffman, died Tuesday at the age of 82 while in custody at a federal prison hospital in Butner, N.C., the Bureau of Prisons said, according to the Associated Press. Now Tony Alamo is also a grave robber-at least in the eyes of an Arkansas judge, who has . She said, Im a successful designer. When Tony got back into the business in 1999, he immediately went on the air. During his outlaw years, hed threatened to kidnap a federal judge, dug up and removed with late wifes body from her heart-shaped mausoleum and made millions of dollars selling high-end painted jeans jackets to celebrities. Her brother, Erik, who is out of the group, called Ark Child Protection in 2000, but no action was taken. Anti-Catholic, pro-polygamy evangelist convicted in 2009 on 10 counts of transporting underage girls across state lines for sex. Amrhein said he suspected his former wife might flee the country to avoid the custody hearing in West Virginia next week. One of the ex-communicated fathers also claimed Alamo had embezzled up to $100,000 in church funds from their trucking company. To treat my mother like a bag of garbage? He claimed that the governments actions against him were merely the machinations of Satan, and his followers continued to attract controversy for distributing his printed literature across the United States and beyond. Tony was a street preacher and his ministry would offer . History: Alys went to Tony Alamos house in Fouke, Ark at 11 yrs old to become Alamos wife. As young girls, Amy Eddy and her best friend, Pebbles Rodriguez, did not have any control of their lives. Asked about his wealth, Gyllenhammar said she is not entitled to any of his property because all of it belongs to the foundation. Both Tony and Susan were impressive on the stage: he with eye-catching outfits and musical ability, she with fiery sermons and deep faith. For more about the harrowing experiences of Amy Eddy and Pebbles Rodriguez and how they reclaimed their lives, watch tonights episode of People Magazine Investigates: Cults at 9 oclock ET on Investigation Discovery. Alamo began preaching in Los Angeles in the 1960s on a platform of anti-catholicism, homophobia and polygamy with young women, according to the AP. Alamo denies it. In 1976, a few unhappy followers reported him to the U.S. Department of Labor, who investigated. As the government painstakingly made its case for tax evasion, Tony was fighting legal battles on multiple fronts. In 1976, the U.S. Department of Labor brought charges against Alamo for violations of the Fair Labor Standard Act. McNeil, Betsy. Its no wonder you get rich when you dont pay your bills. He took all my jewelry and gave it to Elizabeth. Alamo formed the cult way back in 1969 with his wife Susan when he was a flamboyant preacher on the streets of Hollywood. Hes not paying his bills at his stores. [21], The church was Protestant and Pentecostal in nature and it was frequently referred to as a sect of the Jesus movement. Susan became ill with breast cancer in the late 1970s, just as shed reached the height of her business success. After his wife died of cancer in 1982, Tony Alamo, whose secretive Tony and Susan Alamo Foundation operates another commune in Saugus, predicted that she would be resurrected. The documentary series also features archival footage, including Tony Alamo's videotaped deposition, as well as interviews with former members of the cult and the FBI agent who brought Alamo down.[23][24]. 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